UK Drivers to be fined up to £200 for touching phone while driving

Drivers in the United Kingdom might be facing fines of up to £200 for touching their phones even for the briefest moments while driving a car. The penalty comes after a major change in the law announced on Friday under which a motorist would be slapped with a six-point penalty and a fine, which applies to hand-held mobile phone usage. However, the Department of Transport has refused to impose a ban on hands-free devices, though they claim to introduce new measures to stop drivers from using phones other than updating the Highway Code. 

The UK government has also announced that a legal loophole that allows drivers to escape prosecution for using their phones or take photos will be closed. Currently, the police can only prosecute drivers if they have made a communication such as a phone call, text message, WhatsApp message or email. The government will be reviewing proposals to close the loophole that currently fails to punish the drivers. The Commons' Transport Select Committee has further urged the government to introduce tougher restrictions and recommended that ministers should also consider a ban on hands-free use. 

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Closing loophole that allowed drivers to escape punishment

The government was forced to look into the loophole as earlier this year, a driver named Ramsey Barreto successfully appealed against a conviction for filming the scene of a crash while driving after his lawyers argued the rules only relate to using a phone for 'interactive communication'. The Transport Secretary Grant Shapps reportedly said that the law will bring the UK into the 21st century. Speaking to international media, Lilian Greenwood, chairperson of the transport select committee also said that the government's decision to accept the recommendation to tighten up the law around the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving is great news as the loophole has always prevented the police from prosecuting drivers who continue to use their phone behind the wheel and put themselves and other road users at risk. According to the reports, in 2018 approximately 29 deaths and 118 serious injuries were reported in crashes where the driver was using a mobile.

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